For commuters who drive to work, the time it takes to and from work determines a lot about their day. Your commute also hits your wallet, affecting the type of car you buy and the money you spend on gas.
Recently, the FinanceBuzz team analyzed census data from hundreds of cities across the country to find which city in every state has the longest, or worst, commute times.
Average commute time by state
Researchers found that there are four states where commuters spend at least 30 minutes commuting each way on average. New York leads with an average commute time of 32.8 minutes.
Maryland and New Jersey are tied for the second-longest average commute at 31.4 minutes, while drivers in the District of Columbia face a drive of 30.4 minutes every day. Massachusetts came close to the half-hour mark as well, with the average commute in that state lasting 29.9 minutes.
Want to live in the state with the shortest average commute time? Head to South Dakota, which has an average of 18.4 minutes. That is just a few seconds faster than neighboring North Dakota, which has the second-lowest commute time in the country at 18.5 minutes. Drivers in three other states average less than 20 minutes driving to work: Nebraska (19.1 minutes), Wyoming (19.5 minutes), and Alaska (19.8 minutes).
The study found that Poinciana, Florida, has the longest drive time in the United States, at 51 minutes on average.
Among the cities with the longest commute times across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., the average commute time is 28.3 minutes, slightly longer than the census-reported average commute time of 25.6 minutes nationwide.
Cities with the longest commutes
There are four states where the city with the longest commute has a time of at least 40 minutes. Florida leads the way here, and workers in Poinciana take the prize. The 51-minute commute there could be influenced by workers commuting to Orlando, Florida, which is located about an hour away.
In Brentwood, California, the average worker commute is 46.4 minutes — that’s the longest in the state.
Workers in East Orange, New Jersey, face an average commute of 41.7 minutes, while those living within the five boroughs can expect to spend 40.1 minutes on the road each way to and from work.
All told, there are 17 different states where the longest commute time is at least 30 minutes.
This includes some of the country’s largest cities, such as New York City (40.1 minutes), Chicago in Illinois (33 minutes), Philadelphia in Pennsylvania (31.1 minutes), and the national capital of Washington, D.C. (30.4 minutes).
On the other end of the spectrum, some cities with the “longest” commute time in their state still seem to get off easy.
Cheyenne, Wyoming, has the longest commute time in the state at just 16 minutes.
That’s more than three times shorter than the average commute time in Poinciana, and the shortest time of any state’s top-ranking city.
Full city list
State | City with worst commute time | Commute time (minutes) |
---|---|---|
Alabama | Hoover | 25.3 |
Alaska | Anchorage | 18.9 |
Arizona | Maricopa | 35.9 |
Arkansas | Conway | 21.1 |
California | Brentwood | 46.4 |
Colorado | Castle Rock | 30 |
Connecticut | Danbury | 33.3 |
Delaware | Wilmington | 22.8 |
District of Columbia | Washington | 30.4 |
Florida | Poinciana | 51 |
Georgia | South Fulton | 35.2 |
Hawaii | Honolulu | 22.8 |
Idaho | Nampa | 26.2 |
Illinois | Chicago | 33 |
Indiana | Hammond | 27.7 |
Iowa | Des Moines | 19.3 |
Kansas | Shawnee | 23.4 |
Kentucky | Louisville | 23.3 |
Louisiana | Kenner | 23.7 |
Maine | Portland | 19.8 |
Maryland | Waldorf | 38.5 |
Massachusetts | Quincy | 38.4 |
Michigan | Novi | 28 |
Minnesota | Woodbury | 26.2 |
Mississippi | Jackson | 20.8 |
Missouri | Lee’s Summit | 24.9 |
Montana | Missoula | 19.8 |
Nebraska | Omaha | 20 |
Nevada | Sunrise Manor | 28.1 |
New Hampshire | Nashua | 28.1 |
New Jersey | East Orange | 41.7 |
New Mexico | Rio Rancho | 32.8 |
New York | New York City | 40.1 |
North Carolina | Concord | 29.9 |
North Dakota | Bismarck | 18.2 |
Ohio | Lorain | 24.7 |
Oklahoma | Edmond | 24.5 |
Oregon | Gresham | 26.8 |
Pennsylvania | Philadelphia | 31.1 |
Rhode Island | Pawtucket | 26.7 |
South Carolina | North Charleston | 26.3 |
South Dakota | Rapid City | 19 |
Tennessee | Clarksville | 27.5 |
Texas | Atascocita | 36.2 |
Utah | Lehi | 27.9 |
Vermont | Burlington | 23.1 |
Virginia | Dale City | 38.9 |
Washington | South Hill | 34.6 |
West Virginia | Beckley | 28.2 |
Wisconsin | Janesville | 24.9 |
Wyoming | Cheyenne | 16 |